Early on Thursday we walked the 3 km into town and had a coffee on the way. Next stop the tourist office from where we got the local map and sights to see. We decided to do some shopping at Pingo Doce and then get a taxi for a tour of the Island. The groceries loaded we set off for a very pleasant couple of hours with a semi happy older taxi driver (Eric) who pointed out all the main highlights.
Porto Santo is the smallest of the inhabited islands of the Madeiran Archipelago just under 500 miles from Rabat, Morocco. It was first discovered in 1418 by Portuguese fishermen. The Island boasts 9 km of fine golden sandy beaches and crystalline waters. The calciferous seawater is a pull for health freaks and a selling point for health holidays. As our driver told us most of the new housing in evidence is in fact holiday homes for people from Madeira who see the benefit of a private Island as a weekend getaway in the height of the tourist season. Madeira it seems has no sandy beaches of its own.
Our first sight was the Discovery Monument better known as the Soap Log. An impressive four square edifice with each of its sides showing scenes alluding to the discoveries made during the life of Prince Henry.
The taxi tour began with a climb over the mountainous ridge heading roughly north towards Pico Castelo We stopped frequently to admire the barren landscape and tremendous vistas
We were constantly spotting birds of prey soaring above us. There are only two farmers left on the island so it seems that the birds have a free ‘run’ of rabbits and other small mammals. Next a yellow outcrop of clay smeared the mountainside, but, sadly there are no potters nor artisans to use it.
Winding our way to the west from Camacha, we journeyed to Pico de Castilo , where, a small fort was built during the 16th Century. Mainly to ward off French attacks and Algerian pirates. Today the belvedere forms an outstanding view of Porto Santo. It has a well landscaped picnic area too. Onwards and down to the Fonte da Areia - natural freshwater springs . Once a spouting flow of water came through, however, nowadays it is but a small trickle. Of course it had stories of both medicinal and holy nature attached. More eye-catching were the sand blown cliffs through which it percolated.
We continued past the modern airport back towards the immense beach and up again to Pico das Flores another view of the island and out to westwards a glimpse of Desertas and Madeira Islands.
We retraced our track back to the main road and continued to the most southerly point overlooking Ilhéu de Baixo ou da Cal , an even more remote island with its only inhabitants –the birds. This was almost the end of our tour, save for the return though Cidade Vila Baleira with Eric (our driver) pointing out all the holiday homes, including that of the President who shares the road to the Marina with fuel storage tanks for the airport and a modern power station, he of course has prime real estate facing the beach and sea!
By now we were very hungry so, after paying and thanking Eric we ate our picnic lunch in comfort ‘al fresco’ aboard Piano …...with a cool beer!
Winding our way to the west from Camacha, we journeyed to Pico de Castilo , where, a small fort was built during the 16th Century. Mainly to ward off French attacks and Algerian pirates. Today the belvedere forms an outstanding view of Porto Santo. It has a well landscaped picnic area too. Onwards and down to the Fonte da Areia - natural freshwater springs . Once a spouting flow of water came through, however, nowadays it is but a small trickle. Of course it had stories of both medicinal and holy nature attached. More eye-catching were the sand blown cliffs through which it percolated.
We continued past the modern airport back towards the immense beach and up again to Pico das Flores another view of the island and out to westwards a glimpse of Desertas and Madeira Islands.
We retraced our track back to the main road and continued to the most southerly point overlooking Ilhéu de Baixo ou da Cal , an even more remote island with its only inhabitants –the birds. This was almost the end of our tour, save for the return though Cidade Vila Baleira with Eric (our driver) pointing out all the holiday homes, including that of the President who shares the road to the Marina with fuel storage tanks for the airport and a modern power station, he of course has prime real estate facing the beach and sea!
By now we were very hungry so, after paying and thanking Eric we ate our picnic lunch in comfort ‘al fresco’ aboard Piano …...with a cool beer!
